Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi along with his French partner Fabrice Martin produced a resilient performance as the duo have progressed through to the second round of the men's doubles event at the Madrid Masters.
After losing the first set by a whisker, the wildcard Indo-French pair rebounded strongly to secure a 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 10-7 victory over Argentine-French pair of Guido Pella and Gilles Simon in the opening round contest that lasted one hour and 43 minutes.
It is Bhupathi's first appearance since the Delhi Open in February, where he partnered with Yuki Bhambri to clinch his first doubles title in three years.
Bhupathi and Martin will next lock horns with seventh-seed Alexander Peya and Nenad Zimonjic for a place in the quarter-finals.
